1- have an escape plan: getting everything organized before the show is hard but at least you are in control. When the show ends everyone goes crazy and there is a lot less time to get out of the location. Not keeping everything properly organized and labeled created a big headache after the show when orders needed to be shipped.
2- seal the deal- make sure you get all the information to finalize the sale at the time the order is placed. Following up after the show for information that should have be obtained when the order was placed does not give a good impression. Beware of those who are not prepared to provide the information
3- firm but flexible- have sales terms but be flexible- this was a hard for the first show, but you have to draw the line somewhere. A lot of people at the show are not their for a b2b transaction. There were a lot of interior designer looking to get deals for themselves. Still, especially in today’s difficult business environment you need to be flexible.
4- make a statement- the booth must make a statement within the 10 seconds people will look while passing by the booth. One thing that I am proud of is that almost everybody who passed by my booth slowed down and looked. Many people who were not in the market for what I had stopped and looked and often commented favorably on my product. Still, I need to work on making a clearer statement of what Ethoshopper sells.
5- location, location, location- as a first time exhibitor I was delegated to a very poor location. The traffic where most of my competition were located was much better.